polishing pad Archives - DetailingWiki, the free wiki for detailers

A polishing pad is a tool that can be used to apply polish to a surface and process it in a mechanical way. Although these are most commonly used in combination with a machine polisher, there are also polishing pads to be used by hand.

Gumming can occur when polishing with not enough lubrication, to much heat and a clogged pad. It will show up as sticky residue marks on the paintwork. It is a general indication of an incorrect polishing technique. Ignoring this issue will negatively affect your polishing result.

When removing paint defects, like scratches or water spot etching, the Kevin Brown Method uses a Finishing Polish instead of the traditional heavy-cut compound. This is done via a combination with a microfiber polishing pad and a random orbital polisher.

For removing defects with the Kevin Brown Method we first apply a massive amount of the finishing polish on the pad and massage it in. This is to prime your pad properly, so that the product covers the hole face of the pad.

A random orbital and its different settings can affect your performance in a great way. A couple of big issues that influence the polishing performance are the speed, stroke size and pressure. But first some general information about the machine.

Overall pad performance is dependent on the type and amount of fabric, stiffness and length of the fibers and how they are attached to the pad. The difference between a foam pad, different kind of wool pads and a microfiber pad are discussed in relation to the Kevin Brown Method.